Mike Alzamora checks in

How's everybody doing? For those of you who didn't know, I have made a big switch from TV to Radio at least for the time being. I am still living in Tyler, TX but I am no longer at CBS 19. I am now a Producer/Sports Announcer at KTBB-FM/AM which is also here in Tyler. I am also doing Sports Play-by-Play for Chitwood Sports Media, an independent firm here in East Texas that broadcasts live High School, College, and other local sporting events on the internet and on radio.

I am honestly very excited about this opportunity as I will be able to pursue opportunities I had not had a chance to pursue while on the TV side of things. I also have a much more flexible schedule, and in "These Troubled Economic Times," I will also have a chance to make a little bit more $$$.

Hit me up anytime at kumike35@hotmail.com

Mike Alzamora

ps. Bieke, Donahoo Congrats on the show. It's definitely very informative and entertaining. Take Care everyone.

New Podcast

Hey everybody,

Doug Donahoo and I have started a podcast focusing on the business of local television. Our first episode deals with a variety of new media issues and includes an interview with consultant Steve Safran. Just go to www.localtvnow.com to download, or use the embedded player below.

Powered by Podbean.com

Live shot

Here's a link to that live shot: http://tv.ku.edu/news/2009/03/27/sixteen/

And one more thing

How many of your stations are using something other than satellite/microwave feeds for live shots or to backhaul packages to the newsroom, and if you are, what do you use?

Another first

Damn I love the Web! KUJH did it's first out-of-town LIVE shot from Indianapolis Friday night. Video quality wasn't terrific, but acceptable, and while Channel 6 was doing pre-taped like-lives we were there "in real time" as they say.

We've also been doing same-day packages from the tournament sites which look as good as a satellite feed to the average viewer. With that kind of quality they take a long time to upload/download, but it's still faster than FedEx.

Twitter Updates

A few of us are already on Twitter, so I added my Twitter feed to the right column. Read it here, or follow me @michaelbieke

Why You Should Be Careful...

And here's why station's should be careful what the graphic's department uses in their templates...

"These Troubled Economic Times"

My new favorite drinking game...taking a swig every time someone says, "in these troubled economic times."

Well, the economy has gotten to my station too. We, like so many others, had layoffs right before Christmas, and the future is now for one-man-bands. We offered buyouts to our four senior photogs. We already have a VJ who shoots her own stories, and we're about to hire another. Plus, I hear automation for the control room is on its way and more of my production brethren will be on their way out.

Get used to it folks...these times, they are a changin'

Bieke

Hemenway steps down

KU chancellor Bob Hemenway announces today that he's stepping down effective June 30.



More later.

Where are they now

Laine Baker moves from KSNT, Topeka, to weekend anchor, KNWA (NBC/FOX) in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Her husband is a sports reporter there.

I thought I'd pass along this article to everyone. Way to go Laubhan!

LUBBOCK, Texas, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A television anchor in Lubbock, Texas, says she had no clue her boyfriend from a rival TV station planned to propose to her on-air during her show.

KAMC-TV anchor Emily Leonard appeared stunned when she saw boyfriend, Matt Laubhan, a meteorologist for KLBK-TV, Lubbock, sitting at the sports desk. Laubhan then asked viewers to "sit back and watch me make a young woman cry, hopefully in a good way." more

The story even made it to the UK.

Jason Matisoff

Editor's Note: My newscast ran this story as a kicker on Sunday! Video from GMA below.

BREAKING NEWS!

In my last post I said live remotes were coming this fall. In fact, they are here. Tonight at 5:30 we did a live shot on the story of the EPA fining KU $80,000 for environmental violations. The live shot was exactly the type that I rail against -- a totally gratuitous standup in an empty chemistry lab which hadn't seen any activity for hours! But we did it in the name of valuable experience for our students. After all, they'll be doing lots of those gratuitous live shots once they're out there in "the real world."
See for yourself.

Live at Five (thirty)

At long last KUJH-TV newscasts are now live at 5:30. Actually, we generally tape the second and third segments and do just the first one live, though we have done the whole newscast live. We've been doing this for a week now and it's all gone well.

Next step is to do remote live shots, which should be coming this semester.

Job opening

From Kathy Vitale at KUSA in Denver: I wanted to pass along a job opening at KUSA/9News- Denver. We are currently looking for a morning news producer. The position is M-F hours could be 11:30am-8:00am/12:30am-9:00am. It's for our four hour morning show. Producer will be responsible for two hours of content, will write news, edit video, make own graphics.

Contact: Jack Maher/EP KUSA Morning News (I'll give out more details if someone is interested)

This was my position; however, I've been promoted to the 4pm news-- so I can sleep like a normal person- finally!

If you have further questions, info-- let me know.

Kathy
kfvitale@yahoo.com

Where Are They Now Fixed

OK, the Where Are They Now? section is back up and running and updated. I think I went back and got all the updates people have sent me, but if I didn't, just drop me a line.

Bieke

Site Problem

OK,

There have been quite a few requests over the past few weeks to update the "Where Are They Now?" section, but I am currently having technical difficulties with getting an update posted (it's a long story).

Please bear with me.

Bieke

Good stories, or even not-so-good

If you have good stories posted on your station's Web site, let me know. I'd like to link to them from our staff Web site so that our students can be inspired by the quality of work being done by their predecessors. I've already posted one from Gina Ford at WEEK-TV in Peoria.

Cream of the Crap Part II

It's an adventure. For those of you who don't know, the ABC station in Providence, which is the #3 station but seemed to be on the way up when our old friend Regent Ducas was their interim news director, has now taken a not-good-at-all turn for the worse. Regent is gone, and the new permanent ND has adopted this style even more egregious than Regents where they call arrested but NOT CONVICTED suspects "thugs" and in a prostitution story the other day, the reporter stopped mid-intro and said, "Bow-chick-a-bow-wow!" Ugh!

(Video was here, but ABC 6 has removed it from their website)

They also mis-reported a police shooting the other day. They were reporting a Providence policeman had been shot. Then, about 10 minutes later when were were reporting that no officer had been shot, they updated their report to say that TWO police officers had been shot and were being transported to RI Hospital. Um....no. They had to come back after their noon newscast at about 12:45 and say..."Oops, no officers shot. Sorry!"

So every day's an adventure.
Bieke

Cream of the crap

Hey, Bieke, what's it like competing with lowlife thugs?

Another job placement

Elyse Calderon (May '07) moves from 6 and 10 p.m. producer at KSNT in Topeka to producer/writer at KWGN-TV in Denver.